Seeking Refuge: Wisconsin's Horicon Marsh

At Horicon Marsh, you don't have to be an expert to find the wildlife. It's everywhere.

Considered one of the nation's top birding spots, Horicon Marsh sits just an hour northeast of Madison, Wisconsin. Split into state and federal wildlife refuges, the 33,000-acre preserve welcomes an estimated 300,000 birds every spring and fall. Nearly 300 species have stopped by, from the common Canada goose and tree swallow to the rare trumpeter swan and yellow-billed cuckoo.

Click ahead to read more about exploring Horicon Marsh, including a trip guide on slide 9. Slide 10 lists more top Midwest wildlife refuges.

A 50-mile loop road reveals Horicon Marsh's varied landscape: open water, cattail marsh, upland prairie and wooded wetlands. But you'll have more fun (and see more animals) when you get out of the car to stretch your legs and picnic along gentle bike and hiking trails. Two visitors centers supply maps and birding brochures, making it easy to explore on your own. If you want more help, the Horicon Marsh Bird Club puts on a four-day festival each May, with lectures, demonstrations and a variety of tours.

The club's president, Jeff Bahls, recommends a walk along Dike Road. "You never know what you're going to find there," he says. The 3-mile gravel road pierces the marsh's interior, taking visitors past three blue pools where waterfowl and shorebirds congregate. Spiky cattails poking out of the water attract rails, wrens, sparrows and even Sandhill cranes.

Horicon Marsh's trails and roads give just a taste of what you'll spot from the water. Marc Zuelsdorf, the owner of Horicon Marsh Boat Tours, offers both pontoon and paddling trips.

Drifting silently through the shallows, you might see two yellow-throated warblers chase each other in the treetops, fighting over a nesting area. Or carp bursting out of the water to snap up juicy bugs. Or a yellow-rumped warbler flashing his neon bottom.

A symphony of sounds surrounds paddlers: joyous whistles and trills, staccato clicks, sonorous tones and, sometimes, a single sweet note. Gliding back to the pier, Marc says, "You don't have to be a birder to come out here and enjoy birds." He's right, but visitors will learn another lesson: You don't have to be a bird to find refuge at Horicon Marsh.

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio (pictured) East of Toledo, Ottawa is great for beginners, with a flashy visitors center, boardwalks and a lively chorus of birds and bullfrogs. (419) 898-0014; fws.gov/refuge/ottawa[39] Magee Marsh is more rugged, but the park offers free binoculars, and a boardwalk crosses beds of lily pads where turtles sunbathe. (419) 898-0960; wildlife.ohiodnr.gov[40]

Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, Prairie City, Iowa It's hard to know what's the bigger attraction here: the restored tallgrass prairie where a small herd of bison graze or the outstanding Prairie Learning Center, with its "underground" tunnel and Native American artifacts. In May, migrating songbirds join the grassland species that will stay all summer. (515) 994-3400; tallgrass.org[41]

Platte River Valley, Nebraska Thousands of Sandhill cranes migrate through central Nebraska each March (drawing an equally impressive flock of bird-watchers). You can see the birds from public bridges, but Rowe Sanctuary offers guided dawn and dusk bird-blind tours. (308) 468-5282; rowesanctuary.org[42]

Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Great Bend, Kansas The nation's largest inland marsh is a key stop on the Central Flyway. The excellent Kansas Wetlands Education Center at Cheyenne Bottoms has easy walking trails right out the door. (877) 243-9268; wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu[43] And if you've made the trip here, don't skip Quivira, where residents include a prairie dog colony. (620) 486-2393; fws.gov/quivira[44]

Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Seney, Michigan Topnotch amenities, including photography classes and free binoculars, make this huge Upper Peninsula preserve feel more like a friendly state park. Two popular driving tours have marked stops where you can see baby birds and nests. Watch for trumpeter swans. (906) 586-9851; fws.gov/refuge/seney[45]

(A version of this story appeared in Midwest Living® March/April 2012. Prices, dates and other details can change, so please check specifics before making travel plans.)